Ableton Forum

is anyone else doing this?

I got fed up with just triggering scenes and pretending to play live so now im improvising tracks from scratch using operator / drums in impulse / and guitar using LIVE.

Does anyone know if any singed artists are doing it? EVen squarepusher seems to just play along to a backing track.

cheers

YILA
www.myspace.com/yila
www.yila.co.uk

sometimes.... and only partially...
the results are not always so interesting (for people on the dancefloor)
so i switch from triggering scenes and clips
to improvvisation, or try to find a good mix between the 2...

ps: i like your homepage

yes, your website is quality

i do it all the time.
just did a show in md. on monday with an improvisor's collective...
two hours, amazing players. met a couple of them that same evening for the first time. i used live to control audio and video improv between two computers via midi.
i was taking source via microphone(drums and horns) and making loops and effecting the signals. using tap tempo made it fairly easy to stay on course, and to keep video occurances in time with the performance. video is a bit prepared by dropping in midi clips that i know will have certain transitions or beat-matches, albeit triggered on the fly....the notes/envelope commands get sent via midi to computer 2 running modul8. it's great tho, i can copy a midi track clip that is controlling the bass drum, paste it in a video/midi track and have an image that matches the kick, for example, and add layers from there...it gets more complex via the control envelopes(fx, opacity) thus a stash of clips ready is good to have...and a pair of bcr2000 mapped to fade/crossfade stuff...
check out the live show downloads for audio examples in the link below...
cheers

i have been triggering some scenes then break off and improvise; can be a bit like your heads on a block at a night club, also sounds like a bit like half assed techno if you try and make it clubby - if you go for it you actually sweat and look like a live performer! - i've started to book more experimental gigs so i have more freedom to make some noise!...

yeh i know people are improvsing with laptops in groups - but i am solo and im playing all the parts myself, its more scary when your on your own.- just wondered if anyone was mega experianced at it, or its a new thing.

The video thing sounds cool - can you tell me more?

thanks for the website comments!

I do all of my live performances as improv in this style - I load up 3 impulses, a couple of simplers and operators, with maybe some long soundbed/noises as looping clips and program/sequence it all live, building it up from scratch as I go. Many of my recordings are distilled from performing this way as well. Take a listen over at http://www.offnominal.com!

The main attraction to Live for me was it's ability to use improvisation in a computer recording environment. I think part of the trick (at least for studio applications) is finding the right balance between improvising stuff in session view and then tweaking it in arrangement view. I'm still learning my way around everything, but improvisation is such a key part of what makes music magical for me and Live gives me the ability to indulge myself.